VOCAL TRACT ANATOMY AND VOICE PRODUCTIONKIAGIADAKI DEVORA, MD, PHD

ΗΥ-578

28/4/2017

OUTLINEoIntroduction

oVoice – vocal tract

oAnatomy o The activator

o The producer-sound source

o The resonators

oVoice production theories

The voiceoUnique

o«fingerprint»

o2ο sex characteristic

oMean of expression-communication

oMean of artistic expression

The voicesound = air waves produced in our body and travelling outside of it

The phonatory system

Resonator

Generator

Activator

Breathing (respiration)(1)

Breathing –Inhalation/exhalation(2)

Generator – resonator = upper respiratory system

The larynx

The larynxSCELETON

(VOICE BOX)

VOCAL FOLDS

cartilages, membranes, ligaments and bone +

muscles

Voice generator

Vibratory part

The vocal folds

VF vibration = effect of air flow

oVocal cycle

oF0 = cycles/sec

MYOELASTIC THEORY AERODYNAMIC THEORY

Hypoglottic pressure

VF resistance (mass,

inertia forces)

Airflow (volume –

velocity)

Supraglottic pressure

Resonators

• (supraglottic)

larynx

• Pharynx

• Mouth (buccal cavity)

• Nasal cavities-sinuses

• Skull

• Tongue

• Lips

• Velum

Resonators (2)

✓Enhancement – amplification of sound via the pharynx, buccal cavity, nasal cavity

✓Timbre

✓Modification – enrichment tongue, lips, velum, mandible

✓Articulation and comprehension of speech

What makes the timbre?

Formants

~ the resonant frequencies of the vocal tract -that is the frequencies that resonate the loudest-(phonetics).

~ a range of frequencies [of a complex sound] in which there is an absolute or relative maximum in the sound spectrum (Acoustical Society of America)

oWe can see them as the peaks in a spectrum.

oAt any one point in time (as with spectra) there may be any number of formants, but for speech the most informative are the first three, appropriately referred to as F1, F2, and F3.

oWith vowels, the frequencies of the formants determine which vowel you hear

oThey are responsible for the differences in quality among different periodic sounds.

How does this happen?The source – filter theory

oSource = the vibrating vocal vocal folds (closed end)

oFilter = the vocal tract (or resonator) that suppresses or damps some frequencies while intensifying others, depending on the shape of the vocal tract at a given point in time.

oThe frequencies that are intensified (resonate the loudest in the particular filter) = the formants

oThe first formant (F1) in vowels is inversely related to vowel height: The higher the vowel, the lower the first formant (and vice versa).

oThe second formant (F2) in vowels is somewhat related to degree of backness: The more front the vowel, the higher the second formant (but affected by lip-rounding).

oThe distance between F1 and F2 is a better predictor of degree of backness in vowels.

oThe closer F1 and F2 are to each other, the more back a vowel is.

F3: related to the position of the tongue tip or the size of the cavity between the tongue and the low scissors teeth when contracted

F4-5: related to the length of the vocal tract (position of the lower part of the larynx)

Vocal tract special configurations..

Nair, Angelika, Garyth Nair, and Gernot Reishofer. "The Low Mandible Maneuver and Its

Resonential Implications for Elite Singers." Journal of Voice 30.1 (2016): 128-e13.

The velum (soft palate)

Isolation of nasal cavity

Isolation of buccal cavity

Voice support..

Voice support..

Why the voice is unique?oBody characteristics (hight- size of thorax /neck)

oPitch (perceived F0) ~/ VF length

tracheal length (lower laryngeal position)

tracheal diameter

oResonators configuration and size

Differences between individuals (steady characteristics)

Differences in individual (dynamic characteristics)

Example: male – female voice

oF: higher in neck (1 – 1.5 vertebrae)

oFront angle: F/M= 120 °/90°

oThyroid/cricoid cartilage: bigger in men

oTotal laryngeal size: F/Μ=1/1,5

oVF length: 12,5-17,5 mm/ 17-23mm

oF0 F/Μ=1/2

INTENSITY

Hypoglottic pressure

Vibrating mass

Supraglottic configuration (voice projection

Resonators (e.g lips ouverture)

Support

PITCH

VF stretch and lengthening

Mass

Laryngeal position

Central Nervous SystemProgramming, activation, control

Peripheral nervous system

Information transfer from CNS to peripheral

organs and vice versa

Lungs or ‘activator’

Air volume, pressure, flow

Larynx or ‘generator/source’

Sound energy: vibration and motion

Vocal tract – resonators

Voice: Energy distribution inside the vocal

spectrum

Tactile feedbackAuditory feedback